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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466346">An Act of Angels</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouse9/pseuds/Mouse9'>Mouse9</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But not quite, F/M, In her own way, It's a Wonderful Life, Meg does good, sad but happy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:33:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,002</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466346</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouse9/pseuds/Mouse9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Livvy Bright is a runaway trying to survive, until a change encounter changes her life.  <br/>On the other end, Meg is trying to be good, which is all manner of interesting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Meg Masters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Megstiel Family Holiday Gift Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An Act of Angels</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfusedTabaxi/gifts">ConfusedTabaxi</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Twas the night after Christmas and the streets were dark. The only thing stirring was a teen girl dressed in ripped jeans and a jacket walking down the street.  She would occasionally tug the knitted hat over her ears and then return to the huddled posture as she walked down the empty street.  Puffs of smoke would erupt for her lips as she exhaled making her look like a tiny dragon. </p>
<p>She came across a cross street and walked into the empty street, crossing to get to the other side.  Her head down and braced against the cold, she didn’t notice the three men until they were almost in front of her. </p>
<p>“Hey sweetheart, where ya headin?”</p>
<p>“You look cold, how ‘bout you come with us?  My buddy can warm you up real good.”</p>
<p>The girl paused, her feet coming to a halt, head shooting up. </p>
<p>“I gotta get home.”</p>
<p>Taking a step to the right, she was blocked by the third guy.</p>
<p>“We’ll get ya home.  Our cars right over there, we’ll have some fun first, then get you right home.”</p>
<p>The girl took a step back.  “Back off, I just wanna go home.”</p>
<p>The first man’s hand shot out to grab for the teen but was grabbed by another hand.  The four of them, shocked at the new player on the board, looked to the stranger.  Petite, dirty blond hair, black leather jacket, tight dark blue jeans, and black leather boot. She grinned at the three men, her tight grip on the one man’s hand not loosening. </p>
<p>“Hey, what’s a girl gotta do to have some fun around here?”</p>
<p>The second man pulled out a knife, aiming it towards the woman.  The grin on her mouth widened and her eyes suddenly shone bright.  The knife slid from his nerveless fingers as he stumbled back, terrified.  The first man tugged at his hand, trying not to sound scared. </p>
<p>“Let me go, you bitch.”</p>
<p>Her gaze settled on him and he screamed.  Tugging, he stumbled back as she let go of his arm and the three men ran, the third man’s jeans decidedly darker as they escaped in the night. </p>
<p>The teen girl held her jacket closed and looked at the small woman. </p>
<p>“T-thanks.  I guess.”</p>
<p>The stranger tucked her hands into the front pocket of her jeans and shrugged.  “Just doing my good deed for the year.  Where you live kid?”</p>
<p>“Just up the road.” The teen insisted.  “My mom’s waiting up for me.”</p>
<p>The stranger looked down the street, her dark eyes searching.  Then she looked back at the girl. </p>
<p>“Really.” Her voice was flat. “Show me your house keys.”</p>
<p>The teen snarled, feeling trapped and wanting to escape, to get back to the empty building she’d found a half a mile up the road.  She was hungry and while there might only be a half a bag of chips she managed to find in a dumpster, it would be enough to stave off the hunger pains for the night. She just needed to get out of the elements.</p>
<p>“Who the fuck are you anyway?”  the teen lashed out. Her tirades usually scattered even the most well-meaning adults.  “Look lady, I gotta get home before my mom throws a fit. “</p>
<p>The stranger tilted her head and the girl shivered, unknown fear trickling down her spine.  Cold base fears; hunger, shelter, danger, she knew and understood.  This was different.  Outwardly, the woman had done nothing but save her from potential death or assaults.  But there was a lingering unease, the kind children had late at night when they were cowering under covers staring at closed closet doors, the fear of the unknown.  The instinctual knowledge that this tiny woman was dangerous and, if she wanted, she could eat her heart for a meal. </p>
<p>The girl took a step back and the stranger smiled wider.  </p>
<p>“Livvy.  It’s cold out here.  And that shitty lean-to you have under the abandoned building isn’t going to do fuck all to keep you warm tonight.  The temperature will drop and tomorrow morning you’ll be a frozen treat for vampires.”  The stranger held out her hand and to the teen, that was more terrifying than facing down the three men.  “Come with me and I swear no harm will come to you.  Just a warm house, actual food, and a comfy bed.  Tomorrow you can walk out the door and continue on with your life.”</p>
<p>Her insides froze and she took another step back. </p>
<p>“Who the fuck are you?”  she shouted again.  The stranger shrugged. From inside her, an inner light grew out, expanding, brightening.  The teen squinted, raising a hand to cover her eyes but in the shadows of the night, she saw wings unfurl.  Grey wings that reminded her of doves, shadowed black.  Then they disappeared and the light slid back inside of the woman, leaving an ache in the teen girl’s chest. </p>
<p>She’d just seen something magical, something she would never see again in her lifetime.  In that one moment, she’d been irrecoverably changed. </p>
<p>“Are you…my guardian angel?”</p>
<p>The woman snorted a laugh.  “Please.  I’m no one’s guardian anything. Just someone trying to do a good deed.”  She began walking, moving past the teen and down the sidewalk.  She paused a moment, glancing over her shoulder.  “You comin’ or what?”</p>
<p>She was already moving towards the woman before she realized her feet were moving.  “What is this,” she asked as she caught up with the stranger.  “Some sort of<em> It’s A Wonderful Life</em> bullshit?  I’m supposed to wake up tomorrow and realize that my life isn’t so bad, and I should just go home and live happily ever after?”</p>
<p>The stranger laughed.  “Hell no.  First, if you go home to your abusive stepdad and your good for nothing mom, your life’s gonna get a hell of a lot harder than being on the streets.  Second, I am not up for the sentimental bullshit.  Clarence is back at the house, probably ready to give me a lecture on why I shouldn’t have left in the first place.  Actually surprised he hasn’t popped up here already.” </p>
<p>The woman reached over a hand as the girl caught up with her.  “Meg.”</p>
<p>The teen hesitated before reaching out and clasping it.  Meg’s hand was warm, soft and for a moment she felt like comfort. </p>
<p>“Livvy.”</p>
<p>Meg grinned.  “I know.”</p>
<p>They walked a few blocks in comfortable silence. The evening didn’t seem as cold anymore and Livvy wondered if it was because the temperature was warming or if it was due to the woman walking beside her.</p>
<p>“So,” she began, trying to fill in the silence.  “Are you an angel?”</p>
<p>Meg snorted with a shrug.</p>
<p>“I mean, your wings…I did see wings, right?  They weren’t black and scaly so you can’t be a demon.  And why would a demon help me anyway?  So you have to be an angel. If angels exist does that mean that God’s real too?  Shit, am I going to hell for all the stuff I did as a kid?”</p>
<p>“You ask a lot of questions.”</p>
<p>Her questions were being evaded and strangely, Livvy was okay with that.  There were things she didn’t need to know anyway.</p>
<p>“God is real. Kind of. He’s mostly laid back and has a hands-off approach.  Figures y’all can figure out all this stuff on your own, you don’t need Him.”</p>
<p>Livvy frowned.  “That doesn’t sound like the God the preachers are always talking about.”</p>
<p>A hint of a smirk lifted a corner of Meg’s mouth.  “New management.  This one’s much calmer.”</p>
<p>“Wait…there was more than one?”</p>
<p>They reached a house, old and well worn.  The white paint was peeling from the sides and from the outside, it looked like it needed a bit of work.  The front door was open, warm yellow light spilling out of the house and into the dark like a welcome mat.  At the door stood a man, dressed in a trench coat and tie.  Livvy couldn’t see him from here but she could feel his eyes on them both.  Instinctively, she leaned towards Meg. </p>
<p>“Is he an angel too?”  she half whispered.  Meg grinned and there was a hint of affection in her features. </p>
<p>“Yeah, the original Clarence.”  She drawled as they reached the walk.  Her voice then rang out loud enough for him to hear. “Lookie what I found.  Can we keep her?”</p>
<p>“You weren’t supposed to go out.”  The disapproving tone was tinged with affection, the type Livvy had heard from friend’s parents when they didn’t really mean what they said.  Meg shrugged as they reached the stairs. </p>
<p>“You should know by now that I don’t follow the rules.”  Her words slipped out like taffy, thick and slow.  “That’s what you like about me.”</p>
<p>Stepping onto the front step, Livvy could see him clearer.  Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, round face.  He was cute in a friend’s dad kind of way. </p>
<p>“This is Livvy.  I told her she could crash here.  There’s an extra room upstairs.”  Meg pushed past the man with an affectionate pat to his stomach.  “We got any food here, or should I order pizza?”</p>
<p>The man (angel?) actually <em>blushed</em> and Livvy couldn’t help the smile that slid across her face.  Those piercing blue eyes fixed on her and she felt it again, that feeling of seeing something unexplainable.  But where it had terrified her when she saw it in Meg, here in this man, it was warm, comforting.  It felt like coming home. </p>
<p>“Come in Livvy,” his voice was gruff, but comforting and Livvy was startled to realize she was crying.  “No harm will befall you here.”</p>
<p>Livvy nodded, something deep within her knowing unconditionally that his words were true and stepped inside. </p>
<p>“No pizza!”  Megs’ voice called from another room and Livvy followed the voice.  She found the kitchen and Meg standing over a stove, a pot of chili on the stove.  Meg was looking at the man behind her.  “Clarence, you softy, did you make chili?”</p>
<p>“it is cold outside.”  Clarence said by way of explanation.  Meg had a huge, thick spoon and was stirring the mixture. </p>
<p>“This better be good.  I didn’t hide out in New Mexico for three years to eat bland chili.”</p>
<p>“You can always add more spices if you wish.  Please, sit.”  The last was directed at Livvy and she sat at the kitchen table, feet under her chair, hands folded on the table.  The house was warm, cozy and Livvy could feel herself growing drowsy.   A bowl was set before her and she started. She hadn't seen anyone move.</p>
<p>“Here.  Eat before you fall over.”  Meg ordered as she set a glass of milk beside her. </p>
<p>“The milk is because Meg likes her chili the flavor of hellfire.” Clarence dryly told her.  Beside him, Meg grinned at him. </p>
<p>“Reminds me of home.”</p>
<p>Picking up the spoon, Livvy scooped up a heaping spoonful, hesitating for the briefest moment.  She was about to eat food given to her by strangers.  Strangers not part of soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. </p>
<p>Taking a bite, Livvy’s eyes closed in bliss at the first fiery spicy hot taste. </p>
<p>“Ohhh, oh my God.  This is so good.”  She moaned in bliss.  She opened her eyes and looked at the two people.  “My dad made chili when I was younger.  He always said the spicier, the better.  I loved it when he made it, and this reminds me of his cooking.”  Another bite confirmed her thoughts and once again, the sharp feeling of home filled her as she happily ate the chili.</p>
<p>“See Feathers?”  Meg joked.  “Someone enjoys my choice of spice level.”</p>
<p>“Are you an angel too?” Livvy swallowed the mouthful of meat and beans as the man turned his focus back to her, then narrowed his eyes and looked back at his partner. </p>
<p>“Meg?”</p>
<p>That gravelly voice once again was disapproving yet fond.</p>
<p>“I didn’t tell her anything,” Meg insisted.  “She just…knew.”</p>
<p>“Why are you both down here?  Is there something on Earth you need to do?”  She looked at the two of them, pushing away her now empty bowl.  “Meg said God…well the new God was hands off.  Does He let you, or all the angels, do whatever you all want?  Is it all good deeds or are there angels that do not so nice things?”</p>
<p>Meg laughed as she took a seat across the teen.  “You’ve seen too many horror movies, Livvy.”</p>
<p>The man, Clarence, looked horrified.  “Meg!”</p>
<p>“Oh calm down Feathers, there’s nothing horrible.”</p>
<p>“But…”</p>
<p>“You’re still stuck in the old days and you need to get past that,” Previously snarky and sarcastic, Meg’s tone was now gentle and compassionate.  “Jack is chill, and he loves you. You know he wants you, all of you, to relax and to stop with the adoration and worship.  He’s perfectly happy to let you all be.”  Her attention turned back to Livvy.  “As a rule, the angels are boring.  They’re setting up their own rule of order up there but not everyone is following the strict rules so much anymore.  It’s more like…paradise.”</p>
<p>A smile graced Meg's lips; fond, a hint of disbelief.  “To be honest.  I got bored. We weren’t told we couldn’t come back down to Earth, it’s just the boring cloud dwellers don’t want to.  They’re perfectly happy drawing up plans and organizing hierarchies and keeping Heaven separated between the souls and the angels.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Boring! I needed a bit of excitement. So here we are.”</p>
<p>Livvy looked between the two.  “No offense, but Clarence doesn’t look like he’s here of his own free will.”</p>
<p>The man wrinkled his nose while Meg grinned brightly. </p>
<p>“My name is Castiel.”  He grumbled. </p>
<p>“Clarence is a bit of a pet name.  Like Feathers, my unicorn, my little tree topper… you get the idea.”</p>
<p>“Not that I’ve met any other angels,” Livvy pushed her chair away from the table and leaned back in her seat.  Clarence...Castiel, had taken the third chair at the table and was sitting erect, glancing between the two. It was bold, her talking to a powerful supernatural being like this…two powerful supernatural beings, actually.  Beings that could probably snap their fingers and turn her into dust.  “But you two don’t seem like any of the angels they show on tv or in religion.  No white gowns or harps or singing on high.”</p>
<p>Meg’s lips curled into a smile. “While I would love to see Feathers in a white nightie, I am not your run of the mill heavenly host.”  Her brow furrowed even as the smile remained on her lips.  “Not quite sure you could call me a heavenly host at all.”</p>
<p>“You are in Heaven, Meg.”</p>
<p>“Because you had an in with the new God.”</p>
<p>“My <em>in</em>,” he made quotations with his fingers and Livvy had to hide a smile at how cute she found it. “Would not have amounted to anything had you not been worthy.”</p>
<p>“All those pretty words…”  another glance towards Livvy.  “He’s such a sweet talker when he wants something.”</p>
<p>“So, if I’m allowed to ask,” Livvy hedged.  “If you aren’t a heavenly host, what were you?  I mean, it couldn’t have been that bad if you got into heaven.”</p>
<p>Meg chuckled.  “Let’s just say my previous wings were much scalier.”</p>
<p>Livvy paled.  Was she sitting at a table with an actual angel and demon, eating hellfire chili like it was an ordinary Tuesday? She swallowed hard and finished off the milk, giving her a minute to calm down and take in that her life had drastically turned topsy turvy and to give her hands a moment to steady. </p>
<p>“Heh…an angel and a demon as good friends.  Who knew?” the joke sounded weak, even to her ears. </p>
<p>“Neil Gaiman.” Meg quipped.  “But then, I’m still convinced he’s a supernatural being himself.”</p>
<p>“It is late.  Would you like to rest?”  Castiel asked.  Until then Livvy hadn’t realized her body had been slumping, nor, until Castiel spoke, did she comprehend just how exhausted she was.  </p>
<p>“If you don’t mind, please?”</p>
<p>She could sleep the sleep of the dead tonight.  After all, who else has an actual angel and demon guarding their sleep. </p>
<p>The angel stood and motioned with his head for her to follow. </p>
<p>“Night Livvy.”  Meg called out as she walked away.  “Sleep well.”</p>
<p>He led her up the stairs and into a room that help sparse accommodations, a bed, and a lamp.  But that was all Livvy needed.  The bed was piled with pillows and blankets that rang out like a siren’s call to her exhausted and drained body.</p>
<p>“There is a bath in the next room should you need to relieve yourself through the night or bathe.”  A small smile graced his features and it was like the room lit up, the warmth in her chest expanding. </p>
<p>“Rest well Livvy.  You are safe here.”</p>
<p>Then the door closed, and she was alone.  Shucking off her coat she managed to unlace her boots and toe them off before falling face first into the mattress that felt as if it were made of clouds and fade into blissful oblivion.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>The kitchen was spotless when Castiel returned, Meg leaning a hip against the counter with two glasses of wine in her hands. </p>
<p>“Why what?”  she asked, offering him one.  An offer he took.  Anymore, he gladly accepted anything she offered him and visa versa.  Long gone was any wariness, replaced with the absolute trust and comfort of two people who have known each other for decades, and old married couples.  They were a bit of both. </p>
<p>“The child.  You could’ve just fought off her attackers and assisted her to the local shelter.  Why take a personal interest in her?”  He waved a hand before she could reply. “I’ve looked into her future, to see if there is something to justify you taking leave and coming back down here, risking danger for this one child.  She isn’t anything special, she doesn’t change the course of history.  While her charity work is admirable, it isn’t remarkable.”</p>
<p>Meg drank deeply from her glass as he spoke, waited for him to finally fun out of steam.</p>
<p>“You don’t see it, do you?”  Her grin was cheeky as she set her glass down on the counter and strolled towards him.  “All your time on Earth, all of your trials, your experiences, they’ve hardened you Castiel. I’d like to say some of that was me, but if I have to be honest, which I hate, I’m gonna blame the Winchesters. Your time with them jaded you, Feathers.”</p>
<p>Her hand stole towards his tie, wrapping it around her fingers and tugging him towards her.  He leaned into her as a sunflower leaning towards the sun. </p>
<p>“When I was in Hell, one of the things talked about by the upper echelon, the ones who fell with Lucifer, was the inherent good in everyone.  That the angels saw this, at one time it was their job to ensure that humans reached this potential good. Until, of course, humanity took the turn, and the angels became disgusted with humanity, disgusted that their Father was paying more attention to these apes than His own.  They used to howl in laughter at the thought that those who prided themselves on being so clean and pure harbored the same dark thoughts as both demons and humanity. We knew jealousy, we cultivated it, cherished it, understood it.  You recognized your jealousies and did something about it.  You let it rule you and thereby losing to the person causing the jealousy, you killed the person, or you ignored it. My father used jealousy all the time with my brother and me. I refused to allow it to take root, instead pushing it aside until Azazel realized that was not a weakness of mine. As good and pure as you have been, Chuck’s refusal to allow angels the rights of emotions was your downfall. You were unaware, rejected the emotion and therefore were never able to process it.  It hindered you, never allowed you to see.”</p>
<p>She leaned towards him, her lips pressing a small kiss to the corner of his mouth.  Meg was only ever soft occasionally and only then when they were truly alone. Hand still tangled in his tie, she led him to the living room, sitting on the couch and tugging him down with her.</p>
<p>“It was part of your problem when you came here, angel, your inability to comprehend humans, your…jealousy.  Why did God love these creatures more than his own angels?”  She shrugged.  “We know now that we all got it wrong, He didn’t love anyone, he just like playing puppet master.  But there's still that hint of jealousy that you haven’t worked around yet that doesn’t allow you to see what you were supposed to, the inherent good in all people.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The couch was old, yet comfortable and Meg curled up on it, leaning against Castiel, her feet tucked up under her. She had loosened her grip on his tie but hadn’t let go quite yet.  “It’s the reason it’s so easy to make deals with humans…or rather, it was so easy to make deals with humans,” she amended.  “Because for all the greedy, vain, cruel people in the world, there’s nothing easier to take advantage of than a human’s willingness to sacrifice themselves for people they love.  It’s that inherent good in them that is so easy to manipulate.  What you see in that girl is someone who grows up and does charity work.  What I see is a young girl who, because she had a small amount of help when she needed it, grows up, moves past the situation she’s currently in and goes on to open and start her own charity where she helps others.  And from her help, one or two of those kids are able to grow up and they help others, and so on and so on.  It’s one small ripple that eventually creates a bigger picture.  It’s what we were taught to look for, what to corrupt. Angels are looking for power, and the demons did that as well, I mean, who wouldn’t want a Damien who grows up to become President.”</p>
<p>“I understand that reference.”  Castiel joked. </p>
<p>“Of course you do. But it’s your pure and holy siblings never looked for and what we did.  The link.  What you didn’t see is that three links down from Livvy, there is a girl that is helped who goes on to expand the charity Livvy created that will end up changing the way people looks at feeding the world.  In four generations, world hunger is solved.”</p>
<p>Beside her, Castiel was silent, his expression contemplative.  Outside, the wind began to pick up, bringing the oncoming winter storm that would have frozen Livvy had she slept where planned that evening.  Instead, the young teen whose acts of compassion would help change the world was curled up under downy comforters oblivious to the danger that was just now passing her by.</p>
<p>“I…how do you know this?”  He looked at her, his electric blue eyes red rimmed and anguished.  “How can you know?”</p>
<p>The glass was plucked from his hand and Meg drank the remainder before setting it on the table. “Because that’s what I did for eons, Clarence,” she said, curling up beside him.  “It’s what all of us did.  I could’ve directed her to the local shelter, but she could’ve been turned away, she might not have gone, instead choosing to sleep in the hollowed out empty building with a see-through sheet as a cover.  By morning, she would have been dead, and life would’ve gone on, but…”  another shrug.  “It wouldn’t have been very guardian anglish of me, would it?”</p>
<p>“You’re not a guardian angel.”</p>
<p>She grinned, teeth flashing.  Throwing a leg over his lap, she straddled him, arms now resting on his shoulders.  She loved how easily his hands now automatically went to her waist, holding her to him. </p>
<p>“She doesn’t know that.”  She wiggled a little in his lap, grinning in triumph when she felt the grip on her hips tighten, fingers digging in a little further.  “For my good deed, I think I deserve a reward, don’t you?”</p>
<p>“Angels don’t do good to be rewarded.” He chastised even as his fingers were slipping under clothing to slide across bare skin.  Meg tugged at his tie, loosening it, and sliding it from around his neck before beginning on the buttons of his shirt.</p>
<p>“Ah, but as you said, I’m not quite an angel.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Late the next morning, Livvy stumbled down the stairs, hair messy and wild, to the smell of breakfast.  Her stomach grumbled again, and she followed the scent. </p>
<p>This time Castiel was in the kitchen, still in the same suit and tie and trench coat setting a plate of the best-looking pancakes onto the table. </p>
<p>“I heard you coming down the stairs.”  He offered by way of explanation.  “Coffee?”</p>
<p>“God, yes please!”  She groaned taking a seat.  “Wait, is that blasphemous?  Am I gonna get in trouble?<br/>He smiled dryly.  “I wouldn’t worry.  Meg was correct last night, God is very…hands off.  He prefers to sit back and allow humans to grow or perish on their own terms.  He understands you need to have that ability without him poking in to shake the ant farm, as it were.”</p>
<p>Livvy, paused in her chewing to look at him wide eyed. Finally she swallowed the lump of dough in her mouth and took a bit drink of the hot coffee. </p>
<p>“That’s…that’s an image I don’t think I ever want to think about again.  The fact that we’re nothing more than ants to you.”</p>
<p>The angel’s eyes went wide.  “No…well, yes, to the old God, I guess you all were.  My metaphors are still rusty.  Think of him like…well, a father.  Or perhaps a brother?  You were created and it is your duty to now make the world a better place.  A father would guide you, mold you into what he wants you to be.  A brother would mostly let you go on your own way, cheering you as you went.”  He paused, and a small smile appeared on his lips as if he’d remembered a good memory.  “Perhaps without the usual picking on and trying to trip you up.”</p>
<p> His eyes went back to her and Livvy felt almost pierced by their intensity.  “Sometimes, family is a group of people that become more important to you than the people who bore and raised you.  Sometimes, you need to step away and create your own family. People who love and support you no matter what.”</p>
<p>The moment was over as he turned back to his coffee, taking a drink from his own cup.  Livvy ate a few more bites.  “Is that what you found?”</p>
<p>He looked back at her and then smiled.  “Yes.”</p>
<p>“I’m never going to see either of you again, am I?” </p>
<p>There was a feeling of dread within her, that this experience was something rare, precious.  Castiel smirked. </p>
<p>“You weren’t supposed to see either of us once.  But Meg is her own person and she does like to shake up the system.  But no, Olivia Bright, you will not see us again.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Olivia Bright left the house an hour later, having been fed, well rested, and gifted with a heavier coat for the cold winter nights.  The sun was warming the grass even on the bitter cold morning as she waved goodbye to the two people who, unknown to her, saved her life that night.</p>
<p>“I’m going to miss her.”  Meg said wistfully as the door closed behind them and the house reverted to its original state; old, abandoned, run down.  “Makes me think about kids.”</p>
<p>“You cannot be serious.”</p>
<p>She grinned, as they began to disappear. “Nah, but the activities that usually end up making them is fun.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Eighty-seven years later, the Bright Morning Foundation had been running for decades, giving children who didn’t have a home a place to stay and the means to better themselves.  Several of the children who had found shelter in the home had grown up and gone on to become community leaders, business owners, prosperous in their own right and in turn they donated time and money back to the Foundation.</p>
<p>It’s creator and founder, Olivia Bright, a hundred and two, mother, grandmother, guardian angel in her own right, lay her bed one bright winter morning.  She was tired, so tired and her nurse had just left her. All she wanted to do was rest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey kid.”</p>
<p>That voice, one she hadn’t heard in over eighty years yet was still imbedded in her mind.  Olivia turned her to find Meg standing beside her bed looking the same as she had the first time they’d met.  Same outfit, same cocky grin.</p>
<p>“Meg?” her voice was raspy, weak.  “I thought I would never see you again.”</p>
<p>“Like I said,” Castiel stepped out from behind her.  “She likes to shake things up.”</p>
<p>He held out a hand to her.  “She thinks it would be fun to escort you home.”</p>
<p>Olivia blinked, frowned.  “Home?”</p>
<p>“Pancakes, coffee, fluffy mattresses and all the hellfire chili you can take.”  Meg quipped. </p>
<p>“I can see my father again?”</p>
<p>Meg raised a shoulder.  “I’m not making your chili, kid.”</p>
<p>Olivia reached out and took the offered hand.  Climbing from the bed easily, her old bones and aches seemingly gone now, she stepped away, towards the two impossible people who stood beside her bed. </p>
<p>“You’ve done good kid,” Meg said, glancing over at Castiel.  “Let’s go home.</p>
<p>Ahead of her was the warmest light she’d ever seen and, still holding the hand of the angel and bordered by the not angel, the woman who had made her life possible, Livvy Bright went home.</p>
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